Before we close our tastings notes, we thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of our favorite beers of the year. They include big, bold barrel-aged beers, session beers and plenty of pale ales and IPAs. Keep in mind, this isn’t an all-encompassing list of the best beers. Rather, it’s a rundown of the beers we enjoyed most often or the beers that captured our attention.

I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I’m still not sure why battered, deep-fried steak is called chicken-fried. I kind of get it, but at the same time, deep-fried steak makes sense to me too. Regardless, chicken fried steak is delicious. I had the chance to have the real deal (I hope!) while I was in Dallas last year and I was absolutely smitten.

It is every server’s goal to keep the customer happy, but when you go from being just the customer to being “Mike” or “Lisa” that’s when you know you’ve found “your place”. Congrats! You’re a Black Bear Bar’s regular. Regulars know the servers by name, they know you as well, you often sit in the same spot, chat about your job, your kids, or just your day in general.